Nightfall - Keeper of the Lost Cities
by Vivaldi26
Summary: The 6th book of Keeper of the Lost Cities! ALL SHIPS!
1. Memories

**Chapter 1: Memories**

Sophie's POV

"Sophie?"

"Oh gosh," I replied. A million thoughts raced through my mind as I had just processed what happened: my parents were taken by the Neverseen. What would they do to them? What would happen? Why would it happen?

 _The star only rises at Nightfall_. Echoed repeatedly in my head. Nightfall… Isn't that what the runes on the door Lady Gisela locked with Keefe's blood?

The bright blue glimpse of the Starstone. The shockingly cool air biting at his skin. The garnet color of the blood leaking from the soft pad of his thumb. The memory tugged further and revealed something else: My sister wasn't taken. Memories and recollections of the past with my parents suddenly flooded through my mind.

Small picnics in the park where we would play until dark. A small distant memory suddenly crossed my mind; standing on a hill as a 5-year-old, before my telepathy manifested. The chilling breeze blew against my body as shivers suddenly flew up my arm. The trees swayed to the rhythm of the gentle wind as my feet grew tired and eventually relented, sitting down. I was watching my sister twirl and swirl and fall into a collage of burnt orange, magnolia reds, sweet amber, deep crimson, and light maple leaves. I wished they were here with me. The painful vow struck me back to reality as a tear dripped down my cheek. Another fell until it became a whitewater river of tears.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around me in a soothing gesture to calm me down. Her arms tightened and made me realize how much I missed this. I took the moment to make out every single detail of her. Short wavy brown hair and a pair of hazelnut colored eyes that always sparkled with a mischievous glint in them. She had appeared to be crying. That's when I smelled the sickeningly sweet aroma of burning sugar. Fitz spotted the bright white fires of Everblaze before I did and started to scroll the facets on his leaping crystal. Fear and rage blinded my eyes. Then, I caught a glimpse of a familiar boy with eyes ice cold and mussed up blonde hair. He was held in a chokehold by a figure in a dark robe as he fell to the floor.

"NO!" I yelled, just as the bright light passed through my body. The warmth tingled all over and should have made me calm down. But instead, I felt like every single part of me fell apart again.

Then Fitz's voice yanked me back to reality. Hard. "Where's Keefe?"


	2. Taken

Keefe's POV

A hooded figure grabbed my arm threatening to throw me into the fires if I didn't cooperate. I trembled as fear took over my body. Different emotions swirled through my mind as I instinctively complied with their instructions to sit down in the small, burned wooden chair. The moldy room was soaked in darkness and the candy scent of sedatives filled the air. A vintage atmosphere gave the room a yellow tint in my now crusty, piercing blue eyes and my eyelashes filtered the dirt and dust that went flying into the air with each careful step I took.

I silently sent a wish into the universe that everyone would be fine.

They wrapped a dirty white rag around my head, holding it until I breathed it in. It was a sedative that tasted like rotten candy and had the scent of garbage. I heard screams and a familiar voice shouting my name. I wanted to get up, but I gave in, finally taking a much needed deep breath into the sedative, feeling woozy and immediately fell under its dark spell of sleep.

The words whirled in my mind, and as the Neverseen pressed the towel against my mouth, the words swirling into a dreamless oblivion.


	3. Flashbacks

Sophie's POV

"We had so much to worry about! Everything had fallen apart again!" I exclaimed. Nothing was working, the Black Swan wasn't helping, ogres still stunk, literally, alicorns had to be protected, caches had to be broken into, and my human family was taken!

"Relax Foster, it's going to be okay. I got out of that stupid Neverseen torture session, didn't I?" Keefe had made a point. We managed to track him down with the trackers Sandor had undeniably hidden in his pockets to make sure that Keefe wasn't still with the Neverseen. They hadn't noticed the small patch in Keefe's cloak, which the trackers were hidden in.

 _"Get the melder!" Biana yelled from her disembodied, well, body. I dove for the melder that they had dropped, before nailing one in the chest. Dex sawed at the bonds on Keefe's arms while kicking a dwarf off Fitz's ankle. I leaped from the cracks in the ground, my legs unsteady and shaking. I managed to land on a hooded person's foot before Sucker Punching their nose. Fires lit nearby, brightening up the dim room and surrounding us with the bright, white, aromatic fires: Everblaze. The scent of burnt sugar stung the tip of my nose, before I remembered. Inflicting. I built up the hatred. Every bitter thought poured out of me like a river. Stina. Exillium. The Neverseen. And the rage. So much rage devoured me, and I melted away. The power swelled, and as the force swirled, I caressed the mental storm before shoving it out. I sighed in unison with the others. The Neverseen were knocked out. They laid in various parts of the dungeon, practically trapped in their own prison. We socked each one of them, so they wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, before leaping away with Keefe. And no sign of my parents._

The flashback stopped abruptly, and I found myself sitting next to Keefe again, leaning on his shoulder. We were in Everglen's guest room, across from Natalie, who was sleeping calmly in her bed, and Biana, Dex, and Fitz were there, doing various activities. Biana was flickering in-and-out of sight, Dex was playing with a gadget, and Fitz was doing his Elven History homework. There was also a major sense of deja-vu. Not only would Natalie be waking up in the same bed that I slept in in my first night in the Lost Cities, but also would have to be introduced to everybody. We would still have to keep it a secret though, as we can't exactly have daily human visits; that was most indefinitely illegal.

"You okay there Foster?" Keefe said.

"I don't know. It's just that there are waaay too many things to worry about, at this point."

"Yeah, I can tell. " A soft groan and a yawn turned our attention back to Natalie. She was awake.


	4. Awake

Natalie's POV

"Where am I? What's going on? Why did my parents get kidnapped? Or adult-napped. Or whatever. Sophie! Tell. Me. What's. Happening." I bombarded the strangers with questions as they all rushed over to the bed I was in. Sophie's feet pounded against the floor as she almost tripped over the carpet. Luckily, she was caught by a surprisingly cute blondie - with hair that probably needed about a million hair products **A/N: YASSS I MENTIONED HIS HAIR AHH YEAH!** \- and icy blue eyes. He had sharp, distinguished jaws, chin, and cheekbones. Dark eyebrows held a slight curve near the tip, arching downward, and from an angle looked like a long, pointed beak of a bird. His lips held a shy smile before twisting into a smirk.

"There are other ways you could fall for me Foster." A death glare was pointed his way, with a laser beam focus from Sophie, as everyone else laughed. She shoved him over while saying,

"Shut up,"

"You're flattered aren't you?" He asked.

"I hate Empaths!" was her only reply. What are _Empaths_?

"Join the club," A boy added. At least 15 years old, he had a short rectangular chin and subtle jawline highlighted the contrast between his long, almost elegantly shaped oval face. One word for his eyes though: woah. Breathtakingly bright, they almost were on the borderline of creepy. The teal color stood out among everyone else's besides a girl who looked suspiciously similar to his own. Probably siblings. Thick eyebrows sat just above his eyes with a slight curve at the end, thinning out. His long nose curled around and rested in the center of his face, perfectly symmetrical. Pale nude lips were right below, thick and natural.

"Some best friend you are," The blond kid muttered.

"Natalie, everyone in this room besides you, are not human," Sophie said bluntly, as she pointed the direction back at me. Not human? That's not possible! I began laughing hysterically. Cackles echoed throughout the room. Everyone stared. My face fell. Not literally, of course.

"This isn't a joke, is it?"

"Sadly, no. But, we are elves. No, not pointy eared elves with curled shoes that work for Santa Claus. We have abilities, don't age kinda, well not really, but yeah."

"I'm going back to sleep so I can see if this is all a dream," I answered. I climbed back into my bed and before I closed my eyes, I saw the blonde kid's hands on Sophie's waist. I _also_ saw the teal eyed boy staring - no - glaring at the other boy's hands. Maybe he liked Sophie? I couldn't help but ask,

"Are you two dating?"

"Who?"

"Blonde kid and Sophie," I clarified.

"I have a name you know! My name is Keefe!" What kind of a name was Keefe?

"No we are not dating, Natalie," Sophie responded.

"Are you dating the dude with really creepy bright teal eyes?"

"Really?" He cried aloud.

"No! Forget about dating will ya'?" Sophie replied. "And why do you think that?"

"Keefe is still holding onto you while the other dude keeps glaring at Keefe. And what's your name by the way?" I finished.

"Fitz!"

"Wow…" I said, "So everybody has weird names?"

"Pretty much," Sophie agreed. She started to fill me in on everything, and my eyes widened with every word. She even used telekinesis as an example to prove it and began to levitate. Yeah, I was NOT getting used to this unusual new world. Even though I knew we were still on planet earth, it didn't feel like it.


	5. I Wish?

Sophie's POV

Keefe leaned over my shoulder, hand on my hand, and whispered, "I wish," as he guided me back to the chair, ever so softly even I could barely hear it. Did Keefe… No, Biana's personality of boy-craziness must be rubbing off on me. That's _NOT_ possible. _Keefe didn't…_ I buried it under all the problems I was dealing with. Such pettiness was wasting time and energy. Each foot pounding against the floor, Keefe's hand pulling me back to the seat. My cheek smushed against his shoulder, as I shut my eyes. I could hear introductions going through the room and the smallest snap. My neck stretched as my eyes finally found a black cloak wrapped around what seemed to be a _cobalt blue_ leaping crystal.


	6. Answers & Allies

Natalie's POV

"Hey, Natalie! My name's Dex. Welcome to Everglen!" Dex called. Dex had an oval yet rounded face, with a slightly defined chin, sweet smile, and loose jawline. High cheekbones outlined his face and dimples surrounded his lips. His bright blue periwinkle eyes shined brighter than the striking towers around us. They were evenly spaced apart medium sized, but quite round, similar to an owl's eyes shape, yet not as extreme. Dex had blonde hair with streaks of strawberry pink and faded ruby red blended subtly through his blonde hair. Why was I here? Where were our parents? Who are these people? I tried to distract myself by observing various things.

"Which is actually my house! Sorry," He faced his attention toward me. Fitz exclaimed, holding out his hand. I shook it. He was the dude with chestnut hair whom I suspect likes Sophie... Cool.

"What's wrong with me introducing her?" Dex asked, with an offended look on his face.

"Because it sends the wrong impression! You've only been here, like, twice!"

"You invited me!"

"Sophie did the first time; NOT me!"

"So you're blaming her?"

"Of course not!"

"Yeah, you never would."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

They continued arguing while I looked around and explored Everglen.

"Hi…" I looked around with eagerness in my eyes. Everglen seemed like a palace to humans. With its crystal structure and beautiful view of the sparkling cerulean sea, the mansion had ravishing reflections and natural light practically echoed throughout. There were roses, alliums, daisies, and tulips surrounding the tall, graceful hills.

"Why did we choose to meet here?" I stuttered.

"My mom is part of theee- a group that can help us. Biana found out. Oh, and she's Fitz's younger sister." Dex responded. Biana had shimmering teal eyes and dramatic dark brown hair that fell in soft waves around her neck. Her eyebrows were long and thin, a simple arch shape. The bridge of her nose was short yet elegant and led to perfectly placed, almost heart-shaped, lips. She appeared and disappeared as she casually strutted across the room and I couldn't stop wondering whether I was hallucinating or that I'm becoming crazy.

"Don't worry. She's a Vanisher. She does that all the time without noticing, " Dex informed me.

"What are you doing Sophie?


	7. Yay, Crystals!

Sophie's POV

"Is that a leaping crystal?" I asked.

"To the Forbidden Cities," Fitz whispered.

"I don't think that's from the Black Swan though," Keefe answered holding the cloak and showing the familiar eye on the shoulder. _Neverseen. Of course it's the Neverseen,_ I thought. His arm jerked as he ripped open the patch on the inside of the cloak and shook out the disk.

"Clank!" The crystal and the disk fell in unison.

"Well?" Fitz butted in.

"Looks like we're going to take a leap of faith, aren't we?" I said, quoting Lady Gisela's words in her letter to Keefe. Judging by the cringe on Keefe's face, I could tell that his photographic memory had picked it up as well.

"What about the disk? It says Diablanc if you can't read it!" Dex read aloud.

"Another solo star with pure white light," I recited the facts from the star maps I had memorized.

"Another ray of the Lodestar symbol," Biana repeated the very obvious words that we all were thinking about. With a lot of bumped elbows and stomped toes, we examined the disk once again before going back to the other question: Where was the leaping crystal going to lead to?

Natalie butted in, "I don't know what you are talking about, I'm coming with you!"


	8. Protests

Sophie's POV

Everyone turned to stare at Natalie before releasing a mouthful of protests. (Literally!)

"Yeah no!"

"We are NOT letting this happen!"

"Do you even know about the Black Swan-"

"And the Neverseen-"

" _And_ the Ogres!"

"Or the Lodestar Initiative?"

"Or the _other_ problems we have been facing?"

"Shut up before you guys give me an even bigger headache before we have even gone anywhere," I shouted while beginning to rub my temples.

"You okay?" Keefe asked me, before coming up beside me to steady me as he wrapped his arm around my waist. "You're shaking a little bit and I can feel the vibes coming out of you right now and it doesn't feel good." I started to shove him away so he wouldn't have to suffer through the same migraine rooting it's deep claws in my brain. It backfired, making him wrap himself around me even tighter. It felt like Verdi was chewing on my head.

"I'm fine." He sighed softly as I realized everyone was watching us. Dex and Biana had their eyebrows raised before sharing a knowing look. My eyes wandered to another pair, filled with gleaming sea-glass teal eyes. I thought about how it probably looked, what with Keefe holding onto me so closely I felt his warm breath on my cheek. Fitz was looking at Keefe and back at the floor. Over and over. Fists clenched, jaw tightened. His back was stiff and his usually gentle teal eyes now looked like solid darkened black teal ice. Natalie was glancing at Fitz and murmured, "Interesting,"

"What?"

"For the record, I think we should let her go," Biana paused as she let the news rumble through all of them. "I mean, Sophie is still her kind of sister! Her former life is becoming her life and we can't let her just sit here waiting to get drawn into danger!"

"Isn't she in more danger when we bring her with us on an _illegal_ mission?" Fitz countered.

"She's going to have to know what happened anyway. Besides, she could definitely help. I think we're gonna need it." Biana finished, with a tone that meant the matter was settled. My _human_ sister was coming with us.


	9. The Leap

Natalie's POV

"It's going to feel kinda ticklish and sparkly and like a million things are going to be happening at once, but you'll have a Nexus, which keeps the pieces of you together as you travel by light." She clasped the bracelet onto my wrist.

"What about-"

Sophie cut me off saying: "Don't worry. It'll be fine. Just take my hand and we'll leap, okay?" Sophie also took Fitz's hand and emotions flash through her eyes as their fingers intertwined. She beamed.

I grasped her hand, holding her by the fingers. We all looped hands in a circle while Dex held the crystal up to the light. "Ready?" We nodded. I watched myself glitter away.

…

So. Much. Light. Millions of soft dandelions and feathers tickled me under and outside my skin, softly brushing its edges against me. I closed my eyes and held onto Sophie's hand - the only reminder of why I was here - to get through the leap. I felt the sparkles shimmer and felt coarse as they rubbed my facial features and took me away.


	10. San Diego!

Biana's POV

"This is where you lived?" I questioned.

"Yeah. You're definitely not used to this after years of being surrounded by the Elvin world's glory and crystal mansions. No offense," Sophie added. It was a quaint two story house lined across a row of nearly identical houses. It had been painted an ugly plain beige color and several windows were smeared with something and looked worn. The air had a sour taste that lingered in her mouth afterward. Gutters had trash and there was garbage strewn in spontaneous areas.

"Let's head to the backyard. That's where I found a note once with Keefe," Sophie stopped abruptly and changed direction.

"Go ahead first. I'm going to stay behind to keep watch," I said cautiously.

"Okay. Good idea," Sophie responded making no attempt to figure out what I was going to do. Shadows lurked near the front porch, and I pretended to wander around until my feet began to carry me away to the entrance of the house.


	11. No Way I Could've

Dex's POV

 _Wait… What the heck is Biana doing?_ He thought as Biana lurked near a small corner and searched and dug and searched for something… What could she be up to now? I crept up slowly and stood behind her for a long time just watching her before I finally asked;

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Eek! You scared me Dex. And, I just thought I… saw something," She responded with a slight hesitation, but the tone of her voice was sincere. "I wanted to disappear and scare it but I didn't want to raise suspicion here." She added as she stood up and almost fell into the small pile of books she was scanning, but not before I caught her. She looked more delicate than before and seemed to be as pale as a porcelain doll.

"Sorry," She said shyly. "I'm just kinda nervous now because-" I immediately cut her off by pressing my finger against her lips.

"Be quiet," I whispered, "Before you attract attention."

"Sorry!" She replied in a fake sassy tone as she flipped her hair. We laughed quietly until she almost tripped again.

"You okay?" I asked between giggles and let herself stabilize herself on me. My hands were on her hips and her arms were around my neck. We were close. _Very_ close.

"Yeah…" She whispered as the realization dawned on her of how close we actually were. Her bright teal eyes shone in mine and stared back at me. I leaned in closer and if I positioned my head just right, our noses could touch. She glanced at my lips, and I lightly shrugged.

 _She was asking permission,_ I realized. Good thing she isn't a Telepath or she would hear my thoughts. Silently, she tipped her head forward slightly, brushing the tip of my nose with her own. Strands of hair bounded against my fingers and we clutched each other as if we were the only thing keeping us standing. She breathed in as I breathed out. I could feel her warm breath on my cheeks. I could see her bite her lips. We turned away at the last second. Nope. No possible way I could have almost kissed a _Vacker_. **A/N: OMG SOO CUTE AND FWUFFY!**

"Umm…" Biana murmured, staring at something behind me.

"What?" I asked impatiently as I turned around and found what she had saw…


	12. The Sign

themusicaddict: Well, what has happened so far is that:

1) Natalie comes.

2) Keefe is kidnapped.

3) He gets saved.

4) A leaping crystal appears.

5) They use the leaping crystal and it leads to… San Diego!

Sophie's POV

I gasped for a breath as I saw the sign. The gnomes. The sign. Nope. Not a swan. An eye. The Neverseen's eye. They knew I was here. That I would come here. The warning signs had been there. I didn't pay enough attention to notice them. We were all playing right into their trap. And that's when the scream came.


End file.
